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HOME WATER CONSERVATION
Water is an essential resource...necessary for agriculture, industry, recreation, the environment, and all life. Water conservation is the responsibility of all users including individual homeowners. Wise water use is crucial to the country's environmental health and general well-being.
Think about water conservation before turning on the faucet. A few simple changes in our everyday habits reduce water use and add up to save water.
Remember the Indian Proverb: The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives.
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Reducing water consumption saves money. Residents who are on a municipal water system pay for pumping, treating, and distributing water to users. Wastewater treatment bills may be based on the quantity of water used. People in rural areas may have good well water available, but they must pay for the installation, operation, and maintenance of a pump.
Most of us use far more water than we need. An average household uses between 60 to over 300 gallons per person per day! By practicing water conservation, we can reduce the amount of water use in our homes between 30 to 40%!
Important ways to conserve water include the following:
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Use water-saving, flow-restricting shower heads, lowflow faucets, toilet flushing devices, and other water-saving appliances.
- Reduce the amount of water used for flushing toilets. Place two half-gallon plastic milk jugs (cleaned and partially filled with gravel or stones to add weight) inside your toilet tank where they do not interfere with flushing mechanisms. The bottles displace a certain amount of water which refills the tank and cuts down the number of gallons per flush.
- Repair leaky faucets, pipes, and toilets promptly. A steady drip can waste as much as 20 gallons in one day, 600 gallons in one month! Water leaking from the toilet tank into the bowl can waste between 200 and 500 gallons of water in one day! Check your toilets by adding food coloring to the tank. If color appears in the bowl after half an hour elapses without any flushing, you have a leak. Leaking faucets and toilet tanks can eventually saturate the drainfield of a septic system. Worn out faucet washers and faulty toilet valves account for 5 to 10% of all residential consumption.
- Run the dishwasher only when fully loaded. Use the energy and water-saving cycles with short washes and rinses. Dishwashers can use as much as 15 gallons of water. Water-saving cycles cut the amount by almost half. Dishes can be pre-rinsed or soaked in a stoppered sink instead of under running water.
- Do laundry at intervals throughout the week instead of doing several loads all at once. The greatest volume of water exiting a home in one surge is from the washing machine. Washers use between 30 to 50 gallons for a full load. Always turn the water level control to the appropriate setting (low, medium, high) to match the corresponding size load of clothes. Permanent press cycles use an additional ten to twenty gallons of water
- Explore recycling "gray water." If you have a large family requiring many wash loads, consider installing a separate gray or dual water system for bath/shower runoff. Gray water waste is non-sewage as opposed to black water waste from toilets and garbage disposals
- Use the garbage disposal only when needed or once at the end of meal preparation or dinner. Garbage disposals require a large quantity of running water to operate. Sorting garbage for the compost pile and trash collection is better than sending it down the disposal
- Avoid running water continuously in the kitchen sink. Rinse dishes, fruits, and vegetables in a bowl. Thaw frozen foods in a container of cold water, in the refrigerator, the microwave, or at room temperature. Keep a container in the refrigerator for cool drinking water.
- Avoid letting the water run down the drain. You can save between 10 and 20 gallons of water by turning off the water until it's time to rinse while brushing teeth, shaving, or shampooing.
- Take shorter showers. Take a 3 gallon shower instead of a 30 gallon shower. If you're taking a bath, don't fill the bathtub so full.
- Sweep sidewalks and driveways rather than hosing them down.
- Wash the car using a bucket and a hose with a shut-off nozzle.
- Water the lawn, garden, and plants only when needed. For specific recommendations, see the Watering and Irrigation section under Lawn Care, Landscaping, and Gardening.
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